Irshad Ahmed Haqqani

Irshad Ahmed Haqqani (6 September 1928 – 24 January 2010) was a senior editor, veteran journalist and reputed column writer for the Jang Group of Newspapers. He also served as federal information minister in Malik Meraj Khalid’s caretaker government in 1996–97.

His series of columns have been published in many volumes in Urdu language. His famous column "Heraf Temana" has still great influence even after his death, upon people of Pakistan especially intellectuals and politicians of Pakistan. He often used to publish in his column, a letter of an eminent Politician on a national issue, and thus a national political debate was started by the letters of others politicians and intellectuals published in his columns. He often criticized the Martial Law Government of General Muhammad Zia Ul Haq and General Pervaiz Musharraf.

Early life Haqqani was born on 6 September 1928 in Kasur. He started his career as a lecturer in the government college at Kasur, and retired as the principal of the same college. He also served, for several years, as professor of history at the Islamia College, Kasur. He joined Jamaat-i-Islami and served as editor of its organ Tasneem for some time. But he and a group of senior scholars and ideologues led by Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi left the party after developing differences with the party's founder Maulana Maududi over his policy of bringing about the Islamic revolution through the ballot. The differences erupted at the 1957 Machhi Goth meeting of the Jamaat.

Death and legacy Haqqani suffered from heart disease and died on 24 January 2010 at age 81. His funeral was held at Lahore, Pakistan. He was buried at his ancestral graveyard in Daimul Hazoori, Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan. Among his survivors are two sons and two daughters.

Pakistani luminaries attending his funeral included Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, former federal ministers Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Sartaj Aziz and many senior journalists and newspaper editors.

Books

Gumaan Ka Mumkin (گماں کا ممکن): A collection of essays exploring political thought. Musalmaano Ka Nizam-e-Hukumat (مسلمانوں کا نظام حکومت): An analysis of Islamic governance systems. Muhabbaton Ke Mosam (محبتوں کے موسم): A compilation of writings on social themes.